Slow Down Sunday: Count to 10

Sometimes, the starting point is more important than the finish line

I did 50 push-ups this morning. I really didn’t want to. I was tired. Not in the mood to exercise at all.

Here’s how I did it anyway: Instead of counting all the way to 50, constantly reminding myself how long and arduous the path to my goal would be, I kept resetting the counter in my head every 10 push-ups.

1…

2…

3…

…

8…

9…

0!

“Okay, let’s get to 10 again! 10 is easy. I can do 10!”

Before I knew it, I repeated the game five times, and voilà, 50 push-ups.

Once you’re close enough, focusing on the finish line will increase your willpower. If you do it too early in a long process, however, it might hurt more than it helps.

Sometimes, what you need to pull through isn’t the look back at how far you’ve come, but the lightness of being a beginner. The ease of just having started.

Launching from zero clears your mind. There’s no room to contemplate future hardships or past successes. Who cares what’s behind? Who cares what lies ahead? All there is is a wide, open road. Naturally, you’ll start driving.

Whatever you’re trying to accomplish today, remember: It’s never too late to stop for a moment, reset the counter, take a breath, and count to 10.

-Nik

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About Slow Down Sunday: Life is fast. If we don’t stop and turn around once in a while, we might miss it. So on Sunday, let’s stop and turn around.

Let’s slow down so we can experience all of life — not just parts of it.